Captured
by fallingtowardstheabyss
Summary: Curiosity lead her down a path she could never have imagined. Now she must find a way to get back.
1. Chapter 1

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened." –Winston Churchill.

**Chapter one:**

_In which feathers are ruffled by a reporter, who knows not what she has stumbled across, nor the scale of it, nor the consequences._

"Calm down."

"Calm down? Have you read the report?" The voice over the phone frantically demanded. The senator's usual polished demeanour, and level headed approach had flown out of the window apparently.

"I have the report in front of me."

"Then surely you can understand why I am more than a little concerned," The senator continued.

"I understand. I'll take care of it."

"Thanks."

He placed the phone down on his desk, his eyes flickering towards the computer screen, which held the news article in question. It was a simple interview in the Seattle Times. Standard stuff really. A reporter interviewing the newly elected Senator and his wife. It wouldn't have caused any alarm if the reporter hadn't been so interested in the Senator's wife.

They were fairly innocent questions. Nothing too invasive, or insightful. But they were questions asked, none the less, and so they needed seeing to.

"Garrett!" he called. Moments later, the door to his office opened and he was joined by another man.

"You needed me?" he asked.

"I want everything you can find on Isabella Swan. And when I say everything…"

"You mean everything from today's internet history to her parent's medical records. Got it." Garrett smiled.

"Have it on my desk by close tonight."

"Anything else Mr. Whitlock?"

"Call Peter. Tell him this might be a good time to visit home."

"You think it's that serious?" Garrett frowned.

"I think it's best to be safe," he sighed, "Senator Davis seemed unusually unnerved. He's not a man who is easily worried."

"Do you want me to start damage control?"

"No. Not yet. It could be nothing. But Peter has always had good instincts on this kind of thing."

"He's got a sixth sense," Garret nodded in agreement, before getting to work.

Jasper sat back in his desk, an air of determination about him. Perhaps the reporter knew nothing. But he would be damned if he allowed one woman to tear down all that he'd worked so hard to build.

Bella sat on her couch, numb with shock.

Linda Davis didn't exist.

She had put feelers out, and had different sources searching for over a week, but they had found nothing. Nothing but a marriage certificate. It was as if she didn't exist before her wedding day, and since then she only existed on the arm of her husband.

There had never been any suspicion surrounding Linda Davis, or her husband, the newly elected senator. In fact, his whole campaign was picture perfect. Democrats with traditional American good looks, the entirety of Washington State had fallen in love with the Davis', resulting in one of the most sweeping majority votes the state had ever seen.

Her paper had been elated to book an interview with the couple. Her friend Angela, who had been chosen to interview them, was more than excited. It wasn't just that she was a fan of the First Couple of Washington, but that she was excited to finally get an article that would gain her some readership. Unfortunately, Angela had a death in the family the night before the big day. Much to her surprise, it was Bella's name that was put forward to replace her. As an investigative journalist, it was an unusual assignment for her; the majority of Bella's articles were based on months of work looking into corrupt politicians, corporate fraud, and businesses dumping waste into the Puget Sound. Frankly, the interview was far too close to 'celebrity news' for her taste, and she would have turned it down if it weren't for Angela.

So dutifully, she went and asked the questions which her friend had thoughtfully emailed to her. The interview was straight forward, easy, and utterly uninteresting, though she smiled, laughed and made pleasantries. That was until she turned to ask Mrs Davis a question. She had only asked her how the couple had met, but her reaction was far from what she would have expected for such a question. Mrs Davis visibly tensed, her knuckles white and the colour draining from her perfectly painted face. Then Senator Davis chipped in with a sweet little story about love at first sight that Bella didn't believe for one second. After that, she was unable to help herself from directing the odd question at the now nervous wife. The strange thing was that Linda Davis never once answered. Her husband always spoke for her.

That night she couldn't stop thinking about it. It drove Jake crazy, but her fiancée affectionately rolled his eyes and endured her ranting and rambling with good grace. She had met trophy wives before, women who looked the part on their husband's arm, but had little to say that wouldn't cause embarrassment if printed in the papers. She had also met women who were incredibly shy, and mumbled answers and made excuses. This was nothing like that. Linda Davies looked genuinely scared. The source of her fear was what intrigued Bella.

She lasted all of two days before looking further into the background of Senator Davis and his Wife.

The Senator's background was everything you'd expect it to be. Born into money, he'd attended a top fee paying school, before moving onto Princeton, where he graduated top of his class. His career afterwards was all geared towards the overall aim of political success, which he was now achieving.

His wife, however, did not exist. It was impossible.

Now she just needed to decide what to do about it.

After calling around her connections at various different newspapers, Bella had a list of almost a dozen interviews similar to the one she had conducted. She thoroughly background checked each of the women, and found two more whose only recorded existence was after their marriage. It made no sense. All clearly American, the only thing they had in common was marrying into wealthy families. In fact, all of the men involved came from the 'old money' families, the kind that were beyond rich, and likely would be for the foreseeable future.

While it was true that the uber-wealthy carefully vetted and controlled what information was in the public domain about them, they all left some kind of a paper trail. So why didn't these women?

Her next step was to contact all three of her targets. The guise she used was unoriginal, but hopefully believe able; an article on the representation of women in the media. Somewhat unsurprisingly, all three of them declined to meet with her.

Bella was running out of options. Her usual sources were completely dry of in/formation. Without knowing more, or even knowing what exactly she was looking at, there was little she could do. With no real evidence of any sort, she couldn't even go to her editor with it. There was only one thing left to do. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, typing in a number that was as familiar to her as her own.

"Hey Dad."

"What can I do for you Bells?"

"Say I needed to scan some faces through the databases. Would you be able to hook me up?"

"Sure. Is it for work?"

"Yes," she lied easily.

"Fax them to my office and you'll have them back by the end of tomorrow."

***

The information came quicker than Bella had expected. The paperwork was faxed through, as well as a scribbled note from Charlie.

_"Bells,  
>If you know something about the whereabouts of any of these women, please let me know. Their cases have gone cold, but their families still hope.<br>Dad."_

It intrigued her, and she wasn't entirely surprised to find three missing persons reports from three different states. All three women had been college students at the time if their disappearance. They had all been doing day to day tasks, one dog walking, another grocery shopping, the last on her way to work. So how had they ended up with new names, married to some of the wealthiest men in this hemisphere?

With the new details of their real names, Bella was able to dig deeper and find out more about the women in question. They had different majors, went to good colleges, and had good grades. Another similarity was that they all came from middle class homes, with parents who cared enough to try and find them, but lacked the financial backing to fund the kind of search that would have turned stones over. Really, they were fairly unremarkable people who likely would never have found themselves in the public eye.

There was something suspicious about their sudden lifestyle changes. None of them had told their friends of a partner or a lover, yet they had all been married within a month of their disappearances. Bella could have understood an elopement, but not why not a single one of them had told anyone, nor why they'd need to change their names entirely.

Convinced that there was something more than what she was seeing, Bella prepared her evidence and took it to her editor. David Banner, who usually allowed her free reign in her choice of reports, for the first time turned her down.

"The Seattle Times tries not to publish these kinds of stories," he gently warned her.

"But think about the readership, and the acclaim if it's true..."

"But what if it's not?" He returned, "We cannot afford the consequences if you have misinterpreted this information."

"Am I expected to just turn a blind eye to this?" Bella asked indignantly.

"What you are expected to do is your job. And this is not it," he told her firmly.

Bella left his office with a new assignment, and a determination to not let her investigation be quashed. After all, curiosity was her begetting sin. On this occasion, she would indulge.

***

Jasper's week was not going as he had planned. He sat at his desk, whiskey in hand, looking at the photograph of the woman who was disrupting his life. He'd had multiple phone calls from the Senator and two other friends, whose growing concern stemmed from phone calls from one Isabella Swan to their wives. None of them had actually spoken to her, the calls having been handled by representatives, but the fact that she was trying was bad enough. She had stirred up the hornets' nest, the worry spreading throughout the network. His phone had rung non-stop for days. Until he had unplugged it, that is.

Peter sat down opposite him, helping himself to the decanter that was still open.

"I've spoken to Garrett,"

"And?"

"She's found the missing persons reports."

Jasper cursed, then took a long draw from his glass.

"I always told you they would be a problem."

"Destroying them would have caused greater problems when people realized they were missing," he replied.

"But now they've resurfaced, and with the Davis right in the limelight..."

"We're wasting our time resurrecting this stupid argument, when we should be deciding what to do next."

"What would you suggest?"

"I think we don't decide until we find out how serious she is about this."

"A bribe?"

"A bribe." Jasper nodded, "if she's no threat, then this will all be over. If she is determined to continue, we can decide which action to take."

"I don't know. My instinct is that this is serious. A bribe might make her look harder."

"I want to see how she responds to the bribe."

Peter paused thoughtfully before responding.

"Is this about business, or something else?"

"I'm simply curious."

Jasper cut his brother off before he could open his mouth.

"Don't read too much into this. Arrange for someone to contact her and make an offer, then we can decide what needs doing."

**A/N: This is a taster of a story that's been banging about inside my head for some time, which I'm not sure whether to continue with or not. Review and let me know what you think. **

**Oh, and I'm obviously not Stephanie Meyer. I just put her characters to use for my own nefarious purposes. **


	2. Chapter 2

"When you decide something's right, there's nothing that can stop you from doing it." - Caragh M. O'Brien

**Chapter Two:**  
><em>In which the reporter faces difficult decisions, and must choose the right path to follow, not knowing where it will lead.<em> 

"Miss Swan?"

Bella looked up from her desk to see her assistant, Amy, who she shared with three other reporters on her floor.

"Sorry to interrupt you, but you have a visitor."

"Was I expecting anyone today?"

"No, but he says he has information that could help you with your current assignment."

"Tell him he needs to book an appointment if he wants to see me,"

"I did, but he's pretty insistent," Amy rushed out worriedly.

Bella sighed.

"Send him in then."

She closed her laptop, opening up a notepad with information actually pertinent to the work she should have been doing. The man who walked into the room was not quite what she had expected. He wore smart leather shoes beneath black slacks that were tailored fashionably slim. His white shirt was tucked in at the waist, but the sleeves were rolled up at the elbows, and the top few buttons were undone. Long, dark blonde hair was tied back with a leather strap. There was nothing particularly remarkable about him, though as he turned to quietly shut the door to her office, Bella couldn't help but feel a predatory vibe about the man that made her uneasy. Refusing to be intimidated, she stood and greeted him.

"Thanks for dropping in. My name is..."

"Isabella Swan," he cut her off.

"You know my work?" She asked.

"No. I know your name," he smiled, silk over steel, "take a seat Miss Swan."

"How about we both take a seat, and discuss the information you have for me?" She suggested.

"Sit down," he insisted, towering over her from across the desk.

"How about you cut the crap and tell me what this is about." Pointedly, Bella remained on her feet.

"You seem to misunderstand who is in charge here. I'll give you a hint. It's not you,"

Bella tried to respond, but was cut off before she could draw a breath.

"Let me tell you what will be happening. You will take a seat. Both of your hands will remain where I can see them, and away from the phone and the tape recorder in the top drawer of that desk. Then, you will listen attentively to every word I say. Once I leave, you will tell your assistant, or anyone else who asks, that I had information for you on your current assignment, and no more. Now do you understand?"

"Why are you here?"

"Now, I need to know you understand the rules before we begin play," he admonished.

"I understand the rules," she sighed.

"Good," he grinned, before taking a seat and resting his feet on her desk. Bella waited a few seconds for him to begin, before leisurely taking her own seat.

"You have been very busy Miss Swan. Unfortunately, your business has caused upset for some friends of mine."

"Which friends?"

"Did I say you were allowed to ask questions?" He raised an eyebrow, the casualness of the action belying the hard glint in his eye.

"Did you specify that I couldn't?" She matched him, her own eyebrow raising to meet his challenge.

"I think I like you," he remarked, lips tipping up into a smirk, "Sadly, that changes nothing. I'm here because the situation needs resolving. The offer I am about to make you is one that should satisfy all the involved parties, which is very much in your interest. Are you following?" Bella nodded.

"Good. I have in my hand a check for a significant amount of money. I suggest you accept the check, and destroy any evidence you have collected. If you do, we can all just forget about this. If you don't..." He shrugged.

"Are you threatening me?" Bella asked, reaching out to take the check. It was for half of a million dollars. Her breath caught for a second.

"That's up to you, isn't it?"

James stood up, walking towards the door.

"Because I like you, I'm going to give you, some advice. Be wise about your decision," he advised, "my friends' happiness is good for your wellbeing."

"I'll take that under advisement," she stated dryly, "you can see yourself out."

Bella sat blankly staring at the check in her hands. After a few minutes she slipped it into her purse, where it would burn in her attention for the rest of the day.

"Its $500,000 Jake!" she lay on the couch, head in her fiancé's lap, her mind reeling, "There's so much we could do with that kind of money."

"I would be lying if I said it wouldn't be useful," he acknowledged thoughtfully.

"We could move out of a rental into our own home. Maybe buy a second car. There would even be start-up money for a garage,"

"I sense a 'but' coming up," Jake announced.

"But I don't know if I can take it."

"You don't want to be paid off."

"No. I don't," she sighed, "I always promised myself that I'd never let my career corrupt me. If I was on my own, it would be an easy no. But I have you to think about too. You've always wanted to own your own business, and this could make that happen. I want you to be happy Jake, and if this would make you happy, then I would take the bribe and not look back."

"One of the things that I've always loved about you is your integrity. Even in high school you never let others influence you. I admire that, and I would never ask you to sacrifice it for me."

"Are you sure? We might never have this much money before us ever again,"

"You know I've never had much. I never expected someone to pay my way through life. I've always worked for everything I have, and I don't see why this should be different," he shrugged, "Don't do something you think is wrong to try and help me."

"You, Jacob Black, are an amazing man," Bella declared.

"I know. You were lucky to land a catch like me," he grinned, leaning down.

"I know," she whispered, her lips brushing his. He pressed a kiss to her lips.

"Even if you turn down the money, I think you should consider ending your investigation."

"What?" she asked, sitting upright.

"I'm worried about you Bells. I don't like this at all. The fact that you had someone threatening you today…"

"It wasn't exactly a threat,"

"We both know that was a threat. The fact that they can hand out half a million bucks like pocket change means they could get away with it too."

"What are you saying?"

"Just…stop poking the bear. I don't know what you've managed to stumble across, but it looks like some pretty powerful people are involved."

"You know I'm always careful," she pecked his cheek, before getting up to grab her laptop.

"I know you are, but I'm not sure being careful is enough this time. You call me if he turns up at your office again,"

"I will," she conceded.

"Good," he stood up, stretching, "You coming to bed?"

"Just give me a couple of minutes, and I'll be right there,"

Once alone, Bella loaded up her laptop, the cursor hovering over the file that stored all of her information. Just a few clicks and it would all go away. She hesitated. Did she really want to be cowed by a big check and some idle threats? After closing the laptop, she retrieved the check from the coffee table and put it down the disposal. She would continue to look into things, albeit more quietly. It was obvious from the amount of money that she had been offered that she was onto something a lot bigger than she had realised. There was no need to tell Jacob. He would only worry.

Despite the certainty of her decision, Bella couldn't help but think of her father.

"They say curiosity killed the cat," he used to tell her, "Well a cat has nine lives. You only have one."

"She's not how I'd expected her to be," James stated.

"What do you mean?" Peter and Jasper listened with rapt attention.

"In the footage she looked like such a timid little thing, but she wasn't the slightest bit intimidated by me," he elaborated, "in fact, she gave as good as she got."

"You liked her," Jasper observed.

"I did."

"Did you think that she would accept the money?" Peter queried.

"She was certainly shocked by the amount. But she didn't seem like the type to sell out."

"Thank you. You can get back to work now," Jasper dismissed him.

A moment of thoughtful silence passed between the brothers, before Peter spoke.

"Well we know she didn't accept the bribe."

"Did she even consider it?" Jasper wondered aloud.

"The guy tailing her said she offered to take it if her fiancée wanted it to start a business. When he said no, she didn't just tear it up, she shoved the check down the disposal," Peter chuckled.

"She put a $500,000 check down the disposal like trash?"

"Apparently."

Jasper sat back in his chair, contemplating his options.

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I need to do something, before someone goes rouge and tries to take her out,"

"People have been talking," Peter agreed.

After a moment's more thought, Jasper's decision had been made.

"Call Maria. Have her make the arrangements."

"You're bringing her back here?" Peter's eyebrows hitched right up, questioningly.

"Since she's so curious, I figure it's only fair that she should get to experience everything first hand," Jasper smirked.

"So, she's the one you've been waiting for?"

"It looks like it,"

"Well I guess a congratulations are in order," Peter grinned, "I'll make sure a room is prepared."

"What do you mean I'm fired?" Bella incredulously asked, dropping her pen on her desk.

David sighed, placing the cardboard box in his hands down on her desk before elaborating.

"Look, you're a great reporter Isabella, and we've given you a lot of freedom to choose which stories to pursue. But I was very clear with you to leave Senator Davies alone."

"I did look into him a little, but I did so quietly, in my own time, and with my own resources. It wasn't for the paper, after you so clearly told me you weren't interested."

"You must not have been as quiet as you thought you were,"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Mr. Greene had a representative of Senator Davies in his office this morning. The senator was very upset that someone from this paper had been investigating his wife. Mr Greene can't afford to employ journalists who upset public figures, and don't follow instructions."

"But…" Bella was cut off.

"I'm sorry Isabella, but it's out of my hands. You need to pack up your belongings and leave within the hour."

He stopped at the door, and looked back.

"You'll have to leave your laptop too. We'll return it to you once we've retrieved any of our work product."

As soon as the door was shut behind him, Bella slumped in her chair. Everything she'd worked for at college, and for the last two years at the paper had been destroyed in seconds. All of her notes, drafts, and information was gone too. She was frozen, not knowing what she would do. There was no way they could afford the flat on Jake's small salary, let alone the other necessities. As her world crumbled around her, Bella took a deep breath and picked up the phone.

"Jake, I need you to come and get me."

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" came his concerned reply.

"I've been fired."

Her admission was followed by a pregnant pause, before Jake gruffly replied.

"I'll be right there."

As soon as Bella had closed her office door behind her, the whispering started. All eyes were suddenly upon her and the box in her hands. It was clear that in the ten minutes it had taken for her to pack the few personal affects she kept on her desk that the rumour mill had been in full operation. People who she had considered to be friends after two years of working together, suddenly seemed no less friendly than wolves on the prowl.

"I heard she was stealing stationary. It was probably her who took Jill's stapler," she heard someone whisper, only to be corrected by another.

"No, it wasn't stationary. She was sleeping with the boss."

It was nice to know her colleagues had such a high opinion of her. Ignoring the words, the snickers and the stares, Bella held her head high as she walked out of the door. She may have lost her job, but she refused to lose her dignity.

By the time she had handed in her pass at the security desk, Jake was parked outside of the building waiting for her. She jumped into the beaten up Rabbit, placing the box on her lap. Jake didn't even look at her. The journey home was silent, but that didn't last long once they were inside the apartment. Bella headed straight for her desk to start unpacking her things. But before she could even open the box, Jake's hand came down on the lid to stop her.

"You didn't stop investigating." He stated.

Bella stayed quiet.

"You were good at your job, and you were well liked. It's the only reason I could see you being fired out of the blue."

"I didn't realise..." she started, turning to face him only to be cut off.

"I warned you they were powerful, I warned you that you should stop aggravating them. The fact they sent someone to your office to threaten you should have been warning enough," Jake snapped, starting to raise his voice.

"They might be powerful, but that doesn't mean they should get away with breaking the law!"

"How do you even know they were breaking the law? You have no proof. All you have is suspicions and circumstantial evidence,"

"Is that not evidence enough?"

"Was it enough to risk both of our lives? You tell me Bella," he growled.

"All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing,"

"Don't give me that sanctimonious bullshit!"

"Are you telling me that you wouldn't go to the police if you saw a girl being snatched off the street?" Bella raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I would go to the police. But then I would leave it. It is the police's job to investigate crimes, and they have the protection of the government when they do,"

"Do you seriously believe the police would open an investigation into the state's newly elected senator?"

"If there was merit for one, then yes,"

"So you don't believe me?"

"I can't believe you're turning this into an argument over belief."

"What is this argument about then?" she demanded.

"The fact that you refused to listen to me. Not only did you not listen, but you led me to believe that you had stopped investigating. Had you told me you weren't going to stop, I would have been worried but that would be it. But you lied to me Bella. You lied, and now we're likely to be evicted at the end of the month,"

"Jake, I'll find another job. It will work out,"

"No!" he shouted, "You don't get to stand there and tell me this will work out. This isn't about money, it's about you thinking only about yourself and disregarding me. How am I supposed to trust you when you lie to my face?"

After a moment's reflection, the guilt started to sink in.

"I'm sorry," Bella whispered, bowing her head.

"I'm going back to work. God knows we need the money," he roughly scrubbed his hand over his face, "We'll talk more when I get back."

"I love you," she called as he walked out the door.

Jacob didn't reply.

In times like these, Bella's response to stress was cleaning. She dusted, scrubbed, and polished until the entire apartment gleamed. It was a shame it had only taken little more than an hour. The next logical step was to update her CV and start sending it out to perspective employers. It would be harder without her laptop, but she was determined to try. Unfortunately, her adrenaline was running at an all-time high after the loss of her job and the fight with Jacob. Her focus was shot. She needed something to do to dispel all of the stress. She needed to get out of the apartment.

Bella grabbed her purse and coat, hoping a trip to the shop would cure her. It also wouldn't hurt to get in some food. A good meal and some chocolate chip cookies would certainly butter Jake up a bit. Hopefully, it would help establish a sense of normalcy when he got in. She hated fighting with him. It had happened so rarely since they started dating all of those years ago in high school. Thankfully, neither of them had the disposition to hold a grudge. This time was different she acknowledged. There were far greater stakes involved. A full stomach would help both of them work it through more rationally.

She was half way around the block when a car pulled alongside her. It looked far too expensive to belong in her neighbourhood. Bella supposed that they must be lost. The back seat window wound down, revealing a familiar face.

"Miss Swan," he greeted, the same smirk adorning his face as had been there when he visited her office days before.

"I'm not sure I caught your name last time,"

"It's James," he told her.

"Well James, you'll be pleased to know that my investigation is over. I'm sure all of my information had been disposed of by now," Bella volunteered, hoping he was only here to gloat.

"I can assure you that it has,"

"I'm sure your friends will be delighted,"

"They are indeed, however they have a small request to ask of you,"

"What use can I be to the men who ended my career?" She asked, saccharine sweet.

"A friend of mine was impressed by your work. He would very much like to meet you. I believe he has an offer to make you," James explained.

"A job?" she frowned.

"Something like that," he smiled.

"You can give him my number. I'm sure you have it somewhere," she dismissed him, continuing walking. There was no way she would take a job from the kind of people she suspected James' 'friends' were.

"I'm afraid that won't be good enough. He insists that he would like to meet you in person. Trust me when I say it will be worth your while. It's a very, very generous offer," James called.

Bella stopped in her tracks.

"How generous?"

"Let's just say you will never want for anything again,"

After today she really wasn't in a position to turn down a job offer, especially as she had promised Jake that she would make things right. She had to regain his trust somehow. Perhaps the first step would be to ensure their financial security. The car crept forward, level with her once again.

"What will it be Miss Swan?"

She patted her pocket, realising that she must have left her cell phone back at the apartment.

"I'll need to run back and leave a note for my fiancée. He'll be expecting me to be home, and will worry if I'm not there,"

"We can stop by your apartment on route," James conceded. Bella paused for a moment, uncertain. She had no way to know if she could trust this man, who once had threatened her. However, she figured that if he intended to kill her there would have been no need for such an elaborate rouse. Money covered a multitude of sins, including murder. More than anything, she really needed a job for Jacob's sake if not her own. She couldn't let him down again.

"Alright," she nodded. The driver stepped out of the car and opened the door for her. She slid into a luxurious leather seat that was way more comfortable than any car seat she had ever been in.

"Nice car," she commented, as the driver did a U turn.

"Thanks," James smiled. He was dressed almost identically to the day that she had met him, except for the black trench coat that he wore undone. Bella silently held her breath until they stopped in front of her building. If they were actually allowing her to leave a note, then they must be expecting her to return home that night. She relaxed slightly, feeling surer about her decision.

"I won't be long," she murmured, climbing out of the car.

Bella jogged up to her apartment as quickly as she could, and tore a page out of the first notebook she saw.

_Jacob,_

_I'm going to be gone for a while. I don't know when I'll be back. There is lasagne in the freezer from last week if you need it._

_I'm sorry I disappointed you. I never wanted to, but I did. You were right, I shouldn't have lied. _

_This might be the solution to our problems. I've gone to find out if this can solve it. _

_Love you always,_

_Bella._

The scribbled note was left pinned to the fridge. After one last sweep of the apartment, Bella locked the door and headed back to the car hoping their troubles would soon be over.


End file.
